Patrick Leonard, is a world class producer, songwriter and musician who has just released an album of such beauty that it demands that you put down your phone and pay attention.
His new double album It All Comes Down to Mood is a collection of 16 great songs, great players and a sonically superior product especially given the over-compressed music that has become so ubiquitous over the last 20 years.
If you miss the days of challenging, atmospheric, contextually compelling and sonically spectacular music, then rejoice, your next "must have" album has arrived.
Back in pop music's pre-historic era (read: Before CDs), many of us would sit and listen to a whole album while voraciously studying the album credits. Not just for the obvious. We wanted to know who produced the album, engineered it, guested on it and, if we had the option, read the lyrics. This is the kind of record that makes you want to have that experience again.
Besides the brilliantly well played music, lyrically there are references to legendary artists and songs gone by in a very wistful way.
Almost like, “They don't make ‘em like that anymore”.
The album cover art speaks volumes (no pun intended) and lays the groundwork for the musical journey of introspection of Leonard’s life.
The song's lyrics are not sung as much as they are melodically spoken (along with Leonard's voice, he is accompanied on many of the tracks by legendary Icelandic jazz singer Anna Mjöll) in such a way to tell a story surrounded my wonderous soundscapes.
None of these musical references should be to surprising as Leonard has producing and writing credits with a wide variety of renowned artists including Madonna, Elton John, Leonard Cohen, Bryan Ferry, Julian Lennon, Rod Stewart, Michael Jackson, Fleetwood Mac, Jeff Beck, Bryan Adams, Peter Cetera, Jewel, Blue October, Duncan Sheik and late period Pink Floyd and solo Roger Waters.
HIs new album has an incredible list of guests as well such as Wendy Melvoin, Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, Tony Levin and Aaron Sterling to name a few.
The songs, many of which conjure up images of some of your favorite artists, makes reading the lyrics fun again. Check out the song “Anderson and Council” for example. Anyone who is a deep Pink Floyd fan will instantly get the reference as the band was named after two bluesmen, Pink Anderson & Floyd Council.
As far as sonics, you can enjoy it digitally with earpods but, if you have a stereo rig of any sort of sophistication then hold on …If you have a reference analog (read: vinyl) system as I do, then you will avail yourself of a soundscape that is truly a wonder.
The 16 song set is spread over a double album. Four songs per side instead of the usual 5-6 tracks per. Each side contains approximately 23 minutes of music (as opposed to 27+ minutes on a standard issue vinyl record) so the sonic vinyl reproduction (shepherded by analog guru Michael Fremer) simply breathes and fully envelops you because there is more room for the stylus to capture all the nuances of the music that has been recorded and embedded within the grooves and these grooves consistently deliver a beauty that is very rare these days to this listener.
If you miss the lost art of listening to an album, one side at a time, then get this album and sit back and take it all in. The time you spend will have been well worth it
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